The Catalan government, led by Salvador Illa of the PSC-PSOE, has announced a pilot plan to deploy Mossos d'Esquadra officers in public schools and institutes across Catalonia. This initiative has drawn immediate and strong opposition from the education sector.
According to the Department of Education, the primary issue facing Catalan public schools is 'security' and 'conflict'. The department stated that placing police in schools would 'guarantee school coexistence for students'. However, critics argue that the real problems are underfunding and a lack of human and material resources, not security concerns.
Education Sector Rejects Police Presence
Despite the department's claim that the deployment of Mossos was 'strongly demanded by the teaching world', associations of families and teachers, trade unions, professors, educators, and social integrators have all openly opposed the plan. They highlighted the need for more resources, better recognition for education professionals, and improved facilities, rather than police intervention.
Teachers' demands, which have led to ongoing strikes, focus on fair wages, decent facilities, and adequate resources to provide quality education. The current proposal is seen as a misdirection from these fundamental issues.
Ideological Shift and Public Stigmatisation
The initiative is viewed by some as an ideological move, aligning with a punitive approach often associated with the far-right. The plan specifically targets public schools, implying that private or state-subsidised schools do not require the same 'guarantee of coexistence' from police. This, critics say, stigmatises public education.
This 'pilot test', implemented without consulting the educational community, promotes the idea that 'insecurity' is the main problem in schools. This narrative, according to opponents, distracts from the actual needs of students and educators, such as investment in professionals, suitable facilities, and personalised attention.
Punitive Measures Over Social Solutions
The government's plan explicitly adopts a punitive discourse, which is seen as a key distinction between left and right-wing political approaches. Social problems can be addressed either through social resources and measures or by framing them as security issues and spending on police and prisons.
Critics question why the focus on security stops at schools. They suggest that if 'coexistence' is the concern, similar measures could be proposed for public hospitals, which face long waiting lists, exhausted medical staff, and overcrowding. The current plan, however, prioritises police deployment in schools over addressing the root causes of educational challenges.
